Silver And Gold

"Good to see you, good to see you again", is the phrase Neil Young begins Silver And Gold with, and never were truer words spoken. An artist with more than thirty years and almost as many albums to his credit, Young has simultaneously defined and illustrated all that is great in twentieth century rock music.

His ability to fuse and adapt diverse yet quintessentially American musical styles has been a staple of his work since Buffalo Springfield in the late '60s. Despite well documented career lows, due variously to creative fatigue and occasional self-indulgence, Young remains as relevant and consistent a force as exists today.

Silver And Gold sees a return to his folk-rock roots; country-flavoured romantic and contemplative ballads in a stripped down form once again prove his unique talent as a musician, lyricist and singer. There is an uplifting and life-affirming quality to this album, and on 'Daddy Went Walkin'' Young displays an irreverant sense of fun. On 'Buffalo Springfield Again' he ponders a reunion, while wryly remembering past highs and lows, "Used to play in a rock 'n' roll band, but we broke up, we were young 'n' we were wild, it ate us up . . ."

The album is also a reminder of the huge influence Young has had on American music, from fringe-folk acts like The Dillards to supergroups like The Eagles.

With contemporaries like Bob Dylan becoming increasingly irrelevant in modern music, Silver And Gold represents a welcome return from a talent who could never, ever be dismissed as a dinosaur. Hey Neil, good to see you.